Dartmouth Bans Hard Liquor on Campus

Published January 29, 2015•Updated on January 29, 2015 at 1:29 pm

Dartmouth College banned hard liquor on campus Thursday and said all students will have to take part in a sexual violence prevention program all four years they're enrolled at the Ivy League school.

Dartmouth has long tried to move past its hard-partying reputation — especially after the movie "Animal House," the 1978 comedy partly inspired by one of the college's fraternities. But the latest steps come amid a national furor over sexual assault on college campuses and the role drinking plays in the violence.

"Colleges and universities across the country face the issues I've detailed today," President Philip Hanlon said. "We are not alone in facing them, but we will take the lead in saying, 'No more.'"

Other colleges including Colby, Bates and Bowdoin in Maine have banned hard liquor on campus. Dartmouthofficials said the school will be the first in the Ivy League to take such a step, and the first college or university aside from military academies to require four-year sexual violence prevention education. Many colleges require students to take part in such programs, almost always during their freshman year.

Dartmouth received nationwide attention for allegations of fraternity hazing several years ago, and it's one of 95 schools currently under federal investigation for its handling of sexual harassment and violence. Students protested at Hanlon's office last spring with a long list of demands aimed at creating a more inclusive, diverse campus.